2G verdict to help DMK in 2019 Lok Sabha polls

Chennai: The 2G verdict absolving its leaders A. Raja and Kanimozhi comes not just as a shot in the arm for the DMK, which is frantically hoping for an early poll in Tamil Nadu, but also increases its bargaining power among the national players besides allowing the BJP to court the Dravidian major ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Political observers said it was the “right time” for the BJP to look for “other avenues” in Tamil Nadu since its outing with the AIADMK led by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O. Panneerselvam has so far been “disastrous” and brought only embarrassments rather than any political mileage.

With DMK placed at a politically advantageous position in a post-Jayalalithaa scenario, it is only obvious that the Congress will try hard to consolidate its existing alliance with the Tamil party while the BJP is likely to open up negotiations for the crucial 2019 elections that could be “wide and open” after the Congress posed a tough challenge in the recent Gujarat elections.

The DMK, which carried the 2G stigma that massively contributed to its worst-ever defeat in 2011 assembly elections and the 2014 general elections in which the party drew a blank, has now been exonerated of all “corruption charges” and has emerged as “a Christmas cake” overnight, from which everyone wants a slice. The party will once again hope to play a major role in national politics.

DMK insiders expect that the BJP will now activate its channels to court their party for an alliance. They also point out to the “warm meeting” that PM  Narendra Modi had with ailing DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, when he dropped in at his Gopalapuram house in an unscheduled halt in Chennai on November 6, ostensibly to wish him a speedy recovery.

The DMK leaders, however, admit that the saffron BJP is “an ideological opponent” of the DMK, but little do these things matter in politics. The DMK was part of the AB Vajpayee government from 1998 to 2003 and moved into the Congress camp subsequently. Should the DMK win the next state poll, Stalin would not mind doing business with the BJP regime at the Centre — assuming that Modi will win the next Lok Sabha election in 2019 — just to ensure he has a smooth ride and be able to carry through his development projects.